A Music-related blog containing information and commentary of my favorite music, as well as some choice downloads of quality, hard-to-find music (unofficial releases, ROIO's, concert bootlegs, etc.) available on the web.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Ok, I already featured the most popular downloads. These are among the least popular downloads on the blog, but are all really excellent shows, recordings, and performances, that are just by artists that may not be as popular or well-known. I highly recommend each of these. So, if you take the time to download and listen to them, I think you will really enjoy them. C'mon, check out these lesser-known buried treasures.

Easily one of the least downloaded artists that I have featured on this blog is Ben Folds. I was shocked by this, because he is so talented and the music is great. If you haven't heard him, you should check out at least one show. So, here is probably the best of the Folds downloads. It is a great recording (from an XM satelite radio broadcast that features Ben and his piano in a more intimate setting) and a great showcase for some of his more introspective songs. if you like this, be sure to check out his other stuff here.Ben Folds - 2005-12-29 Loft Sessions

Many have downloaded Joe Jackson's 1983 Rockpalast show, but only a fraction as many have downloaded this excellent soundboard recording from what I believe is Joe's best album and tour (Big World - 1986). So, here's another chance to hear Joe at his best. go ahead and compare it to the 1983 show.Joe Jackson - 1986-10-21 - Tokyo

The Fabulous Poodles were just a great, but short-lived band from the late '70's. If you like The Kinks and early Who, you should appreciate these guys music, style, wit, and wisdom. I wish I had more live stuff from these guys, but for now, all I can offer is this short radio show, but it is a decent introduction to the band. Fabulous Poodles - 1979-05-26 London

Ian Gomm started out with Brinsley Schwarz (which also featured Nick Lowe). His first couple solo albums were pop gems, then he faded away. Check out this fine FM show from his only US tour.Ian Gomm - 1979-11-21 SF

Earlier this year I featured several shows and compilations from the great singer-songwriter Steve Goodman. In the last Goodman post, I indicated that if you only downloaded one of his shows to check him out, that it should be the 1982-3 Houston show, which was a great recording and included some of his most clever songs. Well, evidently, few people listened to me, because this show downloaded less than most of the other Goodman shows. All of the Goodman shows are gems, but this one probably is the best overall, so please, if you haven't already, check out one of the all-time greats at what he did, Steve Goodman.Steve Goodman - 1982-03-02 Houston

Ok, there you go, just a few of the great hidden Gems / Buried Treasures posted on this blog. Some of the lesser-known stuff, perhaps, but great nonetheless.

Happy New Year Everyone!
thanks for your interest and support. I'll be back next year with more new stuff.

As one of those year-end event kind of things, here is a rundown of the most popular downloads on the blog. Not surprisingly, the list is comprised mainly of the biggest name acts I’ve posted, such as Neil Young, The Kinks, Genesis, The Who, etc., but there are also several surprises on the list. For example, I was quite surprised that boots by Procol Harum, the Band, and Jackson Browne also made the list. All of these have been downloaded more than a thousand times, which at least for this blog, is quite a lot.

In addition, here are several other great quality downloads, that although were not among the very most downloaded still received substantial activity (over 500 downloads each), and it was great to see somewhat lesser-known artists like The Guess Who, Little Feat, Little Village, Rockpile, and Nick Lowe get this much attention. and these are just great shows, so here are some of those downloads, too.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Over the next couple weeks I will be doing some year-end cleanup work around the blog, making corrections, revisions, getting things in order. The first order of business was to fix and update any non-functional download links. So I have done that now. Currently, all links on the blog should be functional. If you find any that are not, please let me know. Overall, I have been quite impressed by how few links have died over the past 2-1/2 years I have been running this blog. The policy at megaupload is that links are deleted if there are no downloads for a period of 3 months. Many of my links have remained intact and functioning for over 2 years. Pretty impressive. This isn't exactly a high traffic site, but that that implies that you folks are continuing to download most of this stuff long after the initial period of frequent downloading following a post. So thanks for your interest and support. Keep up the good work. Here are the new updated page links for those few posts that had expired. So, if you didn't get these previously, here's your chance to get these excellent boots now.

In addition, I have now added a blog email address if anyone wants to be able to get in touch with me outside of the post comments. the address is bbchron@gmail.com
Stay tuned for more updates, fewer mistakes, new features, and of course, more great music.

Last week's John Lennon post got me thinking about possible other Beatle-related offerings. Although I am a big Beatles fan, I have generally avoided posting any Beatles stuff because there is just so much already available at countless other places, that there just isn't much point posting it here. The same goes for anything by John, Paul, & George. Not so much for Ringo. Perhaps not surprisingly, there is much less demand, and thus much less Ringo stuff available. So, here is an excellent show from Ringo and his All-Starr Band from 1992, the 2nd incarnation of the ASB, and I think the best overall line-up, featuring such rock icons (and BB Chronicle favorites) as Burton Cummings, Dave Edmunds, Todd Rundgren, Nils Lofgren, and Joe Walsh, yet there have been very few recordings from this tour featuring this stellar lineup. The 1st All-Starr group (1989) also featured some top names (Levon Helm & Rick Danko from The Band, Dr. John, Billy Preston, Clarence Clemons, and Lofgren & Walsh) ) but I like the '92 group the best, and this was also the year that I saw the show, so it has special significance to me. BTW, I think that the All-Starr Band concept was a brilliant idea and marketing plan for Ringo. Combining Ringo with several other rock icons from the '70's and '80's, each of whom have a following, but also probably unable to draw big crowds on their own, was just a great idea. That way Ringo could perform some of his best-known songs, and each of the All-Starrs get a chance to lead and play a couple of their big hits, and everyone is happy. Essentially, they took Ringo, who for many would be considered a somewhat marginal concert act (Hey, I love Ringo, but can you really see paying big bucks to see a 1-1/2 to 2 hr concert consisting of only Ringo songs?), and made his tour into a must-see concert event. This concept has kept Ringo viable as a concert act for decades. Over the years, Ringo has toured with 11 different All-Starr Bands, right up to 2010. Granted, some of the more recent lineups haven't been quite as stellar (Mark Farner? Simon Kirke? Eric Carmen? Gary Wright?), although they still have featured some A-list icons, such as Gary Brooker (of Procol Harum), Greg Lake, and Roger Hodgson.
This show, from the Montreux Jazz Fest, comes primarily from an Italian boot (Resurrection), which had very good sound, but unfortunately only included 16 of the 25 songs played at the show. Through various other sources (including some of the same songs from different shows), I have cobbled together a reasonable reconstruction of the complete show (all 25 songs). When I saw this (very similar) show in '92, it was great. It was not only an opportunity to see Ringo live, but also Cummings, Edmunds, Rundgren, and Lofgren, some favorites of mine that I never got to see in their prime years. And here we get Cummings doing 'No Time' and 'American Woman', Edmunds doing 'Girls Talk' and 'I Hear You Knocking', along with Ringo's songs and goofy charm (although why Walsh does 'Desperado'-which is not even his song, and on piano yet, is very strange indeed). So here is Ringo & his All-Starr Band.

Friday, December 10, 2010

John Lennon
1972-08-30
One to One Rehearsals & KBFH concert excerpts
Madison Square Gardens, New York
mp3 @ 320

It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years since John Lennon was so abruptly taken from all of us. There have been many tributes and remembrances, and there are are countless recordings of Lennon outtakes, sessions, demos, and home recordings available around the music blogs. I had hoped to include some actual live shows from the great man here, but was astonished to find that there really aren't any. Since his Beatle's days, Lennon only made a few live appearances, and apparently only one full length concert (the One to One Concert, 1972-08-30 - NY). And these live appearances have all been officially released (such as Live Peace in Toronto, Live in NY City, various Live tracks on Anthology, etc.). I had no idea he made so few live shows and appearances, what a tragic shame that we lost him so young. Anyway, here is the best I could come up with, a rehearsal session for the One to One Concert, and a few tracks from the actual One to One show featured on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, that were not included in the 'Live in NY City' or 'Anthology' albums (there were 2 shows on 8/30/72, an afternoon and evening show, most of the released album came from the afternoon show). So, here is to the legendary John Lennon, may he rest in peace.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sorry for the scarcity of posts in recent weeks, just been very busy. But here is something to make the transition from my recent Chicago-related posts to the current Holiday season. It's a Christmas concert from Chicago, around the time of the release of their 1998 Christmas album, Chicago 25. This album was warmly received by fans, not only because it was about time they released some Christmas tunes, but mainly because the album marked a return to the more classic Chicago sound and horn arrangements, rather than the softer more ballad-heavy sound featured for much of the '80's and '90's. And they really did it right, too. This was not just an exercise of Chicago half-heartedly playing some Christmas songs. Instead, they gave the songs the full Chicago treatment, with interesting and innovative reimaginings of the standard Christmas songs, spirited and funky horn arrangements, and the whole works. Thus, Chicago gave us a classic Christmas rock album. Featured here is an excellent quality radio broadcast from their December 1998 LA House of Blues show, where we get a mixture of their Christmas songs and their classic hits. Overall an excellent show. I got this one from Big O Worldwide, who has featured many fine Christmas-related boots over the years.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

To wrap up this extended look at Chicago bands and artists from the early 1970's, here's a couple shows from the most famous Chicago band of them all, the group that took the name of their home city as their musical identity (although they were first known as the Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA, but shortened it to Chicago when the real CTA threatened legal action). Originally, I had not intended to include Chicago in this roundup, because even by the early '70's Chicago was already a big hit band, and not really a local act anymore (you'd have to go back to around 1967-1968, the CTA days, to catch them as a local band). But it seems ridiculous to leave them out of this review, as the early seventies were probably their best period. So, I have included 2 shows from 1973 here (which is the year I first saw them, at the old Chicago Stadium). The first is a high quality (but short) radio recording from Australia (date, city, venue unknown). The second is a more complete show from the '73 tour, a good quality audience recording from Sapporo Japan. Chicago VI was their current album at this time, and guitarist Terry Kath was in prime form. Included in both shows is probably Chicago's greatest composition, the epic 'Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon', as well as several songs from Chicago V and VI. the Japan show also includes a cover of the Beatle's 'Magical Mystery Tour'. This original lineup of Chicago was, of course, the best, and was together through most of the '70's, until Kath's tragic death in 1978. So, enjoy these gems from this classic period of Chicago.

Tracklists:
1973 Australia
01. Now That You've Gone
02. Something in this City Changes People
03. Hollywood
04. Just You 'N Me
05. Dialogue Parts I&II
06. Feelin Stronger Every Day
07. Aire
08. Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon

1973-04-06 - Sapporo Japan
01. Magical Mystery Tour
02. State of the Union
03. Just You 'n Me
04. Aire
05. Beginnings
06. Rediscovery
07. Now That You're Gone
08. Saturday in the Park
09. Dialogue Parts I & II
10. 25 or 6 to 4
11. Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon
a. Make me Smile
b. So Much To Say, So Much To Give
c. Anxiety's Moment
d. West Virginia Fantasies
e. Colour My World
f. To Be Free
g. Now More Than Ever

Friday, November 19, 2010

OK, We're still in Chicago in the early '70's here at the 'Chronicles', and another act that was beginning to make it's mark was Styx (OK, before you start in ranting about Styx, remember this is only early, progressive-rock Styx I'm talking about). So, I wanted to post a show from what I still believe was their best period, 1972-1975, their ''Wooden Nickel' years, with original guitarist John 'JC' Curulewski, pre-Tommy Shaw, pre-mega-stardom, the good stuff. Well, I couldn't find a single live recording from that period, nothing at all. But first, let's go back to the beginning. The genesis of Styx actually started way back in the early sixties, when schoolmates Dennis DeYoung and the Panozza brothers (John and Chuck) formed a band called 'The Tradewinds'. By 1969, the group had changed its name to 'TW4', added guitarists John Curulewski (JC) and James Young (JY), and eventually landed a recording contract with local label Wooden Nickel records. In 1972, shortly before recording their first album, they changed their name to Styx, after the name of the legendary underworld river. So, this was the band that I came to know in 1972-73, when their first couple albums were released and became a sensation around Chicago. At that time, although they mixed in straight-forward hard rock, they were really more of a progressive rock band, and it was pretty cool having a local Chicago band that sounded like some British import. Sure, they could be somewhat pretentious and pompous (even then) with sometimes forced mixes of classical and rock tunes, but that was all part of the fun of it, right? Anyway, with their first album, Styx, in 1972, the track 'Best Thing' received alot of airplay (but only on progressive FM stations, like WXRT), and established the band as a local favorite. In 1973, with the release of Styx II, they seemed to have put it all together for their big breakthrough. In summer 1973, shortly after the release of Styx II, they appeared on the Chicago's Public Television music show 'Made in Chicago' and were the hottest band in town, with several songs from the album getting substantial airplay (including 'Lady, 'You Need Love', and 'I'm Gonna Make You Feel It'). As I've said before, I had at one time a tape from that show, but it is long gone now. I saw them live myself in either late '73 or early '74 (around the time of the release of The Serpent is Rising) in some high school gymnasium. They were great, with both DeYoung and Curulewski being commanding presences on stage. By 1975, the rest of the country was finally catching on to the band, as 'Lady' became a national hit (almost 2 years after it was a local hit on Chicago radio), and Styx moved on to a national record label (A&M) for their 5th album, Equinox, which became their most successful album to date and spawned multiple singles and AOR hits. However, just before embarking on their big tour in support of Equinox, guitarist JC suddenly quit the band to spend more time with his family. In a frantic last-minute search for a replacement, the band chose Tommy Shaw as their new guitarist, who immediately started out with them on the biggest tour of their career. And it is from that point that most fans know of Styx, the Tommy Shaw years and beyond. And yeah, they were quite successful after that, but I've never been a fan 'that' Styx. I never liked Shaw (as a guitarist, songwriter, singer, anything), so I pretty much stopped following them once JC was gone (OK, sure, they did put out some decent stuff on the Grand Illusion, Pieces of Eight, and Paradise Theater albums, but they were a totally different band and not one I particularly liked). To me, they lost alot of what the band was all about when JC left, and were a totally different band moving in a drastically different direction. I would still say that Styx II and Equinox were their best albums. JC went on to become a highly respected guitar teacher in the Chicago area, and tutored and mentored many area guitar players and bands. Tragically, however, Curulewski died quite young, in 1988 at age 37, of a brain aneurysm. And, as I said, unfortunately, I could not find any recordings from those early days while JC was still with the band. So, I had to go with the earliest stuff I could find, from their Equinox tour. And although JC was not there, all of the songs were ones that he originally recorded with them. This is part of a King Biscuit Flower Hour Show, so it is a high quality recording, but unfortunately only consists of 4 songs. I have added to this some additional live songs from this period (Equinox and before) from a Detroit show from their next tour (1976, in support of Crystal Ball, their first album with Shaw). I was going to post the whole Detroit show, but opted instead for just adding selected songs to the KBFH show, because, frankly, some of the Crystal Ball songs (and Shaw's guitar-playing) were just too painful to listen to (and the rest of the songs were repeats of those already in the KBFH show). The final track included, '22 years', is fittingly, a John Curulewski song, and one of the only JC-penned tracks that the band continued to play after he left. Unfortunately, most people, even those that are big fans of Styx, have never heard of and know nothing about JC, since most of the band's success occurred after he left. So, this post is dedicated to the memory of John Curulewski, Styx's original (and best) guitarist and a unique personality, and someone that could never be replaced.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Another Chicago band from this era that I wanted to feature was The Ides of March, best-known for their horn-infused 1970 hit, 'Vehicle'. But those from around the Chicago area, and most of the Midwest, know that IOM was much more than a one-hit wonder. Unfortunately, I could not find any unofficial recordings to include here. The Ides of March first began as a band in 1964, when 4 high school kids from Berwyn (Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Bob Bergland, and Mike Borch) formed a group heavily influenced by the Mersey sound that they dubbed 'The Shon-dels'. In 1966, after Tommy James' group was putting out records under the name 'The Shondels', and inspired by reading Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, they changed their name to The Ides of March. While still in High School, the group released a series of singles (1966-67) that received airplay on Chicago radio stations (including 'You Wouldn't Listen', which reached #7 on the WLS pop chart). By the end of the '60's, and inspired by the brass sound of groups like Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Jim asked a couple of trumpet-playing friends to help out the band on some songs. Having now acquired a recording contract with Warner Brothers, the band released the single 'Vehicle' with the new horn sound, which, of course became a smash hit. The Vehicle album also was a solid hit and featured several other songs that used the horns prominently. The success of Vehicle to some degree forced them to continue with the horn-influenced sound, even though that was not really representative of the bulk of the group's music. Somewhere along the way they added a keyboards player and trombone player, becoming an 8-piece band. For their 2nd album, Common Bond (1971), they continued a mix of 'brassy' songs with those with more of a folk-rock, CSN-style harmony vocals feel, including their second smash hit single (at least in Chicago), 'L.A. Goodbye', which stayed at #1 on the Chicago pop charts for five weeks in 1971. To me, this was a much better song (and more representative of the band's sound), and a bigger hit than Vehicle. Unfortunately, apparently the rest of the country didn't agree (or never heard it), because the single stalled at #78 on the national charts. The band released 2 more albums, World Woven (1972) and Midnight Oil (1973) on RCA, both of which continued more along the folk-rock style, with horns added for effect. Although these were solid albums, they failed to garner much national attenetion and did not produce any hits (although 'Colorado Morning' from Woven and 'Hot Water' from Oil, both fine songs, received local radio airplay). The Ides appeared on WTTW's (public broadcasting) 'Made in Chicago' in the summer of 1973, promoting Midnight Oil, and performed all the songs previously mentioned here. I had a tape of the FM broadcast, but it was lost or became unpalayble over the years (at any rate I no longer have it, so I don't have any live recordings to share). After 1973, the group disbanded, but it was not the end. Jim Peterik, the group's principal songwriter continued collaborations with others, writing hit songs for groups like .38 Special, Sammy Hagar, and others. In the '80's, Peterik also formed a new group, Survivor, which also had some big hits (although we won't hold that against him). Then in 1990, the band members were contacted about doing a reunion show at their hometown's Summerfest, of which all the member's attended. They then decided to get back together permananetly and have been going ever since, with extensive touring, releasing reissues, re-recordings and live versions of their old songs, as well as performing some new material and highlights from Peterik's other bands and songs (Here is their website: http://www.theidesofmarch.com/). And recently, in 2010, they released their first full-length studio album of all-new songs since 1973. Apparently they have also set a new record for being the longest-lived band (over 45 years) that still has all of the original members. They also recently received an exclusive honor from their hometown, Berwyn IL, as the road in front of their old high school was officially renamed 'Ides of March Way'. So, sorry I don't have any live recordings, but as a sample of their music, here is their single L.A. Goodbye from Common Bond.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Continuing with my series of great Chicago artists from the early 1970's, here is Mason Proffit. Formed by Terry Talbot with his brother John Michael Talbot as the core, Mason Proffit was a pioneering country-rock band that was known for their high energy live shows. They released their first album, Wanted, in 1969, which featured their best-known song, the iconic protest anthem, 'Two Hangmen'. They went on to release 4 more albums between 1970 and 1973, all of which were well-reviewed and highly regarded, but did not achieve commercial success. The band was considered very influential and one of the progenitors of country-rock as a viable music format. Many of the groups that followed cited Mason Proffit as an important influence, including The Eagles, who has readily acknowldged that their 'Hotel California' was modelled after Proffit's 'Two Hangmen'. Although now recognized as innovators of country-rock (along with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Borothers), at the time Mason Proffit was known just a hard-working regional band (doing up to 300 shows a year) whose live shows featured a mix of folk, country, bluegrass, and hard-driving rock in a high energy and crowd-pleasing concoction. Another aspect of Mason Proffit was that they were not afraid to deal with controversial poltical and social issues in their music ('Two Hangmen', which deals with speaking out against injustice and tyranny in government, was banned from radio play by the FCC for being inflammatory). By 1973, the group disbanded, and Terry and John continued on as duo, The Talbot Brothers, featuring a more acoustic style and sound. Terry has remained active in music over the years, even today, releasing over 30 albums. Like many older bands that have found a new audience in today's music world, Terry Talbot and Mason Proffit have a band web site (masonproffit.com) containing info and albums available for download. The web site also features a free download of the original 'Two Hangmen', which I have also included here as a bonus track to the live show presented here. Unfortunately, I do not have any more information about this live show, which is a fine show from 1971 (although not that great a recording), but it is the only Mason Proffit show I have run across. This show is being presented, in part, to answer a request by tonyg, so I hope you enjoy the show, tony. And to everyone else, here is Mason Proffit.

Note: Date was originally posted as being 1972, but has now been changed
to 1973 after additional info surfaced - original broadcast date
appears to have been April 11, 1973 (still unknown recording date).

Here is the second part of the same Made in Chicago show, featuring Bill Quateman. In 1972, Chicago singer-songwriter Bill Quateman appeared to be on the verge of becoming a major star. He was signed to Columbia Records and given special treatment by one of the most powerful men in music, Clive Davis (the man who signed Janis Joplin, Santana, Chicago, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and many others), given a crack production team, backing musicians (Elton John's sidemen - Davey Johnstone, Caleb Quaye, and Ray Cooper) and finances, and given full artistic freedom to make the album he wanted to make. The result, Quateman's debut album (1972), was nothing short of brilliant. An emotionally rich and powerful set of masterful songs ranging from energetic acoustic rock to soul-searching ballads delivered in a way that just seemed to personally connecting with people. The album received rave reviews and was considered one of the very best albums of the year. In Chicago, several songs from the album received radio play, with 'Only Love' and 'My Music' becoming local hits. Based on the positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth, the album sold over 100,000 units (not bad for a debut album from an unknown), but the single 'Only Love' stalled at around #78 on the national charts, and the album did not cause quite the sensation around the rest of the country that it did in Chicago. Personally, this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and was certainly one of my favorites all throughout the '70's. Quateman has a unique voice and vocal style, and writes and plays songs equally well on and for guitar and piano. But the real greatness is in the songs themselves, musically rivch and satisfying, but that also lyrically and emotionally tap into people's feelings with such poignancy, honesty, and sincerity. The songs became very personal to people that heard the album in ways that rarely happens. From the energetic drive and spirit of 'Get It Right On Out Here' and 'Only Love' to the beautiful introspection and personal depth of 'Circles', 'My Music, 'What Are You Looking For?, 'Keep Dreaming' and 'Only The Bears Are The Same', they are songs that just really seem to mean something to so many of those that heard them.

So, then what happened? How come I never heard of him you might be asking? Well, as Bill was in the process of making his follow-up album, Clive Davis was forced out of Columbia (in some misappropriation of funds scandal), and the new regime saw things quite differently. Gone was Bill's artistic freedom, and the new producer assigned to him wanted to change his sound and style to make him into the next Tony Orlando. Well, Bill refused. He wanted to release his second album the way he made it and intended. Columbia refused to release the album (but kept it) and dropped Bill from the label. Bill continued to play clubs in and around Chicago, but it was several years before another label would sign him. He did go on to make 3 solid, generally well-reviewed, but light-selling albums for RCA in the late '70's, but with more of a pop sound than his first album. After that, however, Bill decided to retire from the music business and devote himself full-time to raising his children. And he was quite satisfied with that decision and his life for the next several years. By the late '90's, as the internet took hold, people kept contacting him, asking about his music and where they could get his albums, was he still performing?, etc., and telling him how much his music had meant to them. So, Bill and his brother got together and set up a web site (billquateman.com), and they began selling Bill's albums on CD (the albums had been out of print for many years, and had never been available on CD before). He was even able to get back the rights to sell his never released 2nd album, making it available for the very first time (in 2000). Eventually he also began performing again, and released a new live album, Many Lives (2004), containing reworked versions of many of his classic songs, as well as some new ones, too. They were successful enough that another music distributor (IAM) eventually began distributing the albums to other music outlets, so now his albums (and digital downloads) are also available at Amazon, Itunes, itsaboutmusic.com, and other outlets (check out the comments on Amazon to see just how much people love that 1st album). So, that's the story.

Now, about this Made in Chicago show. As with AHJ, Bill plays quite a unique show, with multiple songs that are not available anywhere else. Bill plays the first segment (3 songs) all on guitar, featuring songs from his album, opening with the single 'Only Love', then the beautifully moving and heartfelt 'Circles', and finishing with the rousing acoustic rocker 'Get It Right On Out There'. For his second 3-song segment, Bill moves to the piano and plays 3 totally unknown songs, not available on any recordings at that time. The first is the emotional 'Rivers Go Rolling Home' which we now know was included on his 2nd album (but which wasn't released until 25 years later), then a wonderful song that is an ode to his Grandfather, which has never appeared anywhere else but on this show. For anyone that has enjoyed Quateman's music, this show is worth getting just for this song alone. Then Bill finishes up with the Gospel-tinged anthem 'God Bless Everybody', also not released or available on any other recording. As with the AHJ show, I have added a sample of a studio track at the end to give listeners a better idea of what a good quality recording of Quateman sounds like, and to feature one of the other standout tracks from the first album, a somewhat personal anthem of mine, 'My Music', with the refrain 'But it don't matter to me, because you see, I've got my music'. So, please, check it out and enjoy the one and only Bill Quateman, back in the days when he was young, fresh, and creating wonderful music.

Note: Date was originally posted as being 1972, but has now been changed
to 1973 after additional info surfaced - original broadcast date
appears to have been April 11, 1973 (still unknown recording date).

Here is a special treat for anyone that followed the Chicago music scene back in the 1970's (and is worth checking out even if you know nothing about that). So, here it is, the first part of the 1973 Made in Chicago show that featured Chicago legends Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah (AHJ) and Bill Quateman. Both of these acts were unique and original, and epitomize the vibrant local music scene at that time. Unfortunately, neither act achieved much fame beyond the Chicago area, and live recordings of them from this time are virtually nonexistent. Thus, this is a truly rare recording, and something that you won't find on any other blog, or anywhere else on the internet for that matter. This is my own recording, made from the original 1973 FM simulcast of the 'Made in Chicago' broadcast. Now, the quality is not that great, and that is only because, at the time (I was only fifteen and relatively new to the concept of stereo cassette taping) I was using lousy Memorex tapes (what did I know, they advertised on TV, and I had not yet learned that Maxell was the only worthy cassette tape out there), and the quality deterioration is notable. But, the tape with all its flaws has survived these nearly 40 years, so I was able to make a digital transfer of this unique concert event. The format of the 60 min show gave approx. 30 min to each act. Although the show was on public television, the FM simulcast was on a commercial radio station, so the show was divided into four roughly 12-14 min segments, with a commercial beak after each segment. And for this show, they split the acts over the segments. Aliotta, Haynes, & Jeremiah opened the show with the first segment, then they went to Bill Quateman for the next 2 segments, and closed the show with AHJ in the last segment. I have combined the segments from each artist for better flow. First up is AHJ.

Although not originally from Chicago, AHJ (Mitch Aliotta, Skip Haynes & John Jeremiah were a folk-rock trio that had played in and around the Chicago area for a couple years when they released Lake Shore Drive (on Bigfoot Records) in 1971. The single 'Lake Shore Drive', as well as the album, was an immediate success in Chicago, and the breezy style and spirit and honkytonk piano sound of this catchy road tune (an ode to Chicago's famous lakeside highway, with possible references to LSD, the drug) made it an instant Chicago classic. Sure, AHJ took some heat for the not too subtle drug references (intent consistently denied by the group, but bolstered by numerous other drug references on the album), but for most, that also was part of its appeal. Several other songs from the album also were quite notable and received substantial radio airplay, including 'Snow Queen' and 'For Eddie', further establishing AHJ as Chicago favorites at the time. Thus, when they made their appearance on Made in Chicago in the summer of 1972, they were at the height of their popularity. Apparently confident of their stature, they quite surprisingly chose to not even play their most famous song that night, instead going for a quite bold move of playing mostly unknown or previously unreleased songs. Only 2 of their 6 songs were from the LSD album, the other 4 being rarities that were not recorded for any album, including a cover of the Youngbloods 'Get Together' put in an extended medley with 'Some Old Engine' in AHJ's unique style, and 'Brooklyn Love Song', a comic theater piece (midwesterners making fun of New Yorkers) employing their penchant for 'cheap theatrics'. Thus, again, this was a unique show containing AHJ songs that cannot be found anywhere else. Because this was such a short set, and lacked the requisite Lake Shore Drive, I have added a sample of the studio LSD track at the end, just because it should be here, and so that those that are not familar with AHJ can hear their most famous song and how they are supposed to sound (in a better quality recording). So, without further ado, here they are, Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah.

AHJ continued for several years after this, but never achieved comparable success as with LSD. But there has always remained interest in the group and this album. It was released on CD in 1992, with a couple additional tracks, and then was re-released in a 2-CD, 33-track special edition reissue for the 25th Anniversary (1996), called Lake Shore Drive at 25, which contained numerous additional AHJ tracks from various phases of their career. This enhanced version of the album is still available at Amazon and other outlets (at a very reasonable price BTW). Skip Haynes, in particular has remained active over the years and has continued to support his and the band's music.

Up next, the second part to this show, a great and unique set by singer-songwriter Bill Quateman

Friday, October 15, 2010

In 1972, the local Chicago Public Broadcasting station, WTTW, began a pioneering live music show called 'Made in Chicago'. This was, as far as I know, the very first prime-time music show that was devoted to extended live in-concert performances on US television. It changed the way music was generally presented on TV, as it featured more in-depth, live performances of particular artists (as opposed to just 1 or 2 songs, often lip-synched, that was the norm on music and variety shows up to that time). This was before Austin City Limits, and also before ABC's 'In Concert'. Some of the shows were even simulcast in FM-stereo by a local rock station, WBBM-FM, for better sound quality. The show started out featuring successful local Chicago artists (mainly folk-rock), such as John Prine, Steve Goodman, Bonnie Koloc, Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah, and Bill Quateman in the first season. In the second season (1973), in addition to other popular local rock acts (such as Styx and the Ides of March), they began featuring some more nationally-known acts, such as Jim Croce and Gordon Lightfoot. By the third season, in 1974, the name of the show was changed to 'Sound Stage', as it was expanded and distributed nationwide as a national PBS show. Sound Stage became the premium musical showcase on television and remained a staple of public television from 1974 to 1985, and then was reborn years later in a new series and form in 2003, and has continued right up through 2010. the show is still produced by WTTW, and most performances take place in WTTW's Chicago studios. But, back to the original Made in Chicago broadcasts, unfortunately, it does not appear that any of the original tapes (either audio or video) from the Made in Chicago broadcasts were kept, as they have not appeared anywhere. I remember that I taped several of them off the radio, including the Ides of March, Styx, Jim Croce, and AHJ-Quateman shows. Unfortunately, my recordings were made on poor quality cassette tapes, most of which did not survive the ensuing years. However, one that I still do have, and have listened to repeatedly over the years is the 1972 show that featured Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah and Bill Quateman (each getting a 30 min segment). Although the tape is not of good quality, it is listenable, and contains rare live performances and songs by both of these great Chicago acts. I was hoping to have these shows posted and ready for download by now, but I don't have them quite ready yet. But soon I will be posting them, and it is a real gem of a find for any fan of that early '70's Chicago Music scene, 6 songs from each of these acts, including some rare previously unrecorded or released gems that cannot be found anywhere else in any form (unless someone else has a better copy of a tape from this performance). So, sorry for the delay in posting these, but stay tuned for two of Chicago's finest acts from this period, Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah, and Bill Quateman.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Since we are now in the midst of the baseball postseason, I just wanted to add one more item about Steve Goodman. I had planned on including this with the previous post, but it was getteing too long as it was. Anyway, Steve was a big baseball fan, and more importantly, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. Now, the Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908, and had never even made the postseason during Steve's lifetime. Steve put into his song 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' some of the bitterness and frustration that goes along with being a Cubs fan. When that song started to get airplay in Chicago around 1983, the current general manager of the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Green, was asked to comment on what he thought of the song, to which he complained that it was just too damned depressing. When Steve heard about this, he decided to write an upbeat, postive song about the Cubs in response. So, Steve wrote and recorded Go Cubs Go, a cheery, catchy 'fight-song' style ditty. In 1984, when it looked like the Cubs might actually have a good team, they started playing the song on WGN game broadcasts and at the ballpark. The song caught on and became the rally song for the Cubs that season. As the season progressed, and it looked like the Cubs might actually win their division and make it to the postseason, or possibly even go th the World Series, Steve was asked to sing the National Anthem and throw out the first pitch at the Cubs opening playoff game. Unfortunately, Steve's health took a drastic turn for the worse before the end of the season, and Steve died four days before the Cubs clinched their division title and a spot in the playoffs. Steve's friend Jimmy Buffett filled in for Steve by singing the national anthem at the opening playoff game. Thus, Steve lived his entire life without seeing the Cubs even play in the postseason (Their previous postseason appearance was in 1945, 3 years before Steve was born). However, even if Steve would have lived to see the 1984 playoffs, it only would have lead to more frustration, anyway, because the Cubs blew a 2-0 series lead (in a best of 5 series) by dropping the final 3 games to miss out on the World Series yet again. Perhaps it's fitting (at least to the spirit of the 'Dying Cub Fan's' song), that the Cubs have since blown opening round postseason series in 1989, 1998, 2007, and 2008. The closest they came to the World Series was in 2003 when they were within 4 outs of winning the NL pennant and a trip to the World Series, when they fell apart in the 8th inning, lost a 3-0 lead, and ultimately the series (all through a bizarre series of events that included interference from a fan in the stands, multiple errors on the field, and the meltdown of the their best pitcher). Thus, even now, almost 30 years after Steve wrote 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request', everything in the song is just as true now as then, perhaps even more so with the passing years, as the Cubs have continued to be a source of bitterness and frustration for their tortured fans. Steve's song 'Go Cubs Go', however, received new life in 2007 & 2008, when it was taken up again by the Cubs as their victory song, and was played at the ballpark after every Cubs win. And although the team did win their division and make the postseason that year, they were quickly swept away from the playoffs with 3 straight losses. So, why am I bothering to post all this seemingly trivial information? Well, like Steve, I am a lifelong Cubs fan, too. Not that I want to be, mind you, but I don't have any choice, it is ingrained in me from childhood. No matter how fed up and disgusted we get, and say we don't care what happens, we can never completely turn our back on them. They will always be my team. And one day, ONE DAY, they will win it all, and all of us dying Cub fans can finally rest in peace. So, I understand competely why Steve was a Cubs fan, and all that goes with it, and why, after putting out all his frustrations in one song, he turned around and wrote a pep song glorifying for the team in another. So, as we face another baseball postseaon without the presence of the Cubs (they finished next to last in the league), here's a shout-out to all anguished Cubs fans out there, and another special tribute to Steve Goodman, musician-performer-singer-songwriter extraordnaire, but also a baseball fan, and Chicago Cubs fan.

You can hear 'A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' in disc1 of the download of the 1982-3 shows below.

This final extended set in my mini-tribute to the late, great Steve Goodman features a combination of soundboard shows from his last couple of performing years, 1982-1983. And I think this is the very best of the bunch. Just great, classic stuff. It starts off with a superb-sounding recording (and great setlist) of a solo show at Rockefeller's in Houston (This may be the best-sounding boot of Steve I've heard). Unfortunately, the recording was not complete and had cuts in some songs. So, I've combined this with another later solo show (1983) from the same club that includes many different songs. Then for the second half (disc2), I combined these with a show from the Birchmere (1982) that featured a long set with friend and mandolin player Jethro Burns, and that also developed into some serious jamming with an impromptu full-size bluegrass band, courtesy of Steve's urging some of the many famed players that were hanging around (such as Doyle Lawson, John Duffy, and Mike Auldridge, among others) up onto the stage. Thus, the result is a monumental extended set featuring most of Steve's best songs from the later years, many of the classics from earlier years, and a rousing bluegrass jam at the end. Highlights are too numerous to count, but start with an opener of 'Somebody Else's Troubles', one of my favorites from his early years, and build from there. We get great renditions of classics like 'City of New Orleans' (solo version and bluegrass version), 'By My Name', '20th Century', and his bittersweet 'Dying Cub Fan's Last Request' (at the time he wrote this we didn't know that he was actually the 'dying cub fan'), as well as the later solo comic gems 'Talk Backwards', 'Watching Joey Glow', 'Vegematic', and 'How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?'. Also included are one-of-a-kind Goodman events like 'What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?', in which we get Steve's spot-on impressions of 4 different new wave bands he recently heard; and Steve's incredible adlibbed 'string-breakin' song' improv as he continues to sing and provide rhyming commentary as he attempts to get a string changed on his guitar. And all this topped with great mandolin work from Jethro, and the full bluegrass jam with an all-star band, all being lead in Steve's incomparable way. Whether you are a fan of 'folk music' or 'singer-songwriters' or not, this is something that I think everyone will appreciate and enjoy, so I urge anyone who has ever read this blog to download this show and check it out (at the very least disc1, to get the best of Steve solo). Steve was just a remarkable talent and possibly the best ever at what he did.
Steve released 9 albums during his lifetime. Strangely, considering how great his live shows were, they didn't release a live album until 1983, as Steve was beginning to succumb to his cancer. Of course, in the years since Steve died they have released many additional albums, including multiple different live albums, previously unreleased material, multiple compilations (including the excellent 2 disc anthology - No Big Surprise) and tribute albums, and at least one live DVD). Steve also has received 2 grammy awards, unfortunately they were both received posthumously, one for songwriting, for 'City of New Orleans' (for Country Song of the Year - 'Willie Nelson version', 1985) and one for Best Folk album for Unfinished Business, his final album of previously unreleased songs, 1988.

I have tried in these 3 'extended sets' that I have posted to provide an overall picture of the best live shows of Steve Goodman through the various years of his career. I realize that the purists might not like that I have cut and spliced different shows together rather then just posting complete individual shows. Well, first of all, most of the available recordings were not complete. But what I wanted to do was provide a more complete picture of the variety and versatility of Steve's songs and performances (by featuring more different songs and removing several repeated songs) in just a few downloads, while still preserving the single show style and flow. In addition, even for veteran fans, it is much nicer to listen to a few of these 'enhanced' shows than having to go through 6 to 8 full-length shows in order to hear all the songs you want to hear. I hope I have succeeded at this. For those that want to get all the available Goodman shows, and those that prefer to get everything in lossless quality, I have good news. All of these shows, as well as several more, including many John Prine shows, are available for download from a wonderful personal ROIO website that features many great folk, rock, and 'roots' artists, available in both mp3 and FLAC formats, everything from Jackson Browne to Wilco, at John's ousterhout.net. If you go there and dowload stuff of interest, be sure to leave John an email message of thanks, and mention that you found his site through the BB Chronicles.

Also, hopefully, through these posts, I have made more people aware of Steve and his talent, and resulted in a few more Steve Goodman fans. If so, there are several other websites devoted to preserving the memory of Steve Goodman you should check out. Most importantly, is Steve's official web site: http://www.stevegoodman.net/, where they have most of Steve's catalog of albums available for purchase at very reasonable prices. Also worthwhile is The Steve Goodman Scrapbook: http://www.cobo.org/goodman/good.html and the Steve Goodman Preservation Society: http://www.folkblues.com/goodman/ . In addition, there are several videos of Steve performing posted on Youtube, and if you have never seen Steve in action, you should definitely check those out, too.

I hadn't originally intended to devote this much time and posts to John and Steve (I just knew I wanted to include them in my 'Chicago' series), but I am very glad I did. In preparing these posts, I listened to all these shows numerous times and it was just such a joy to immerse myself in this music, some of which I hadn't heard in years. It made me realize all over again just how great this music is and how special and unique these guys are. I hope some of you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have.

Disc 1: Steve - solo (Houston,TX)
01 Somebody Else's Troubles
02 Banana Republics
03 Dying Cub Fan's Last Request
04 I Just Keep Falling In Love
05 What Were You Expecting, Rock and Roll?
06 City Of New Orleans
07 Chicken Cordon Blues
08 Old Fashioned Kind
09 Elvis Imitators
10 Talk Backwards
11 20th Century Is Almost Over (ending spliced)
12 How Much Tequila Did I Drink Last Night?
13 Watchin' Joey Glow
14 Vegematic (Asleep With the TV On)
15 If She Were You
16 Don't Go Gettin' No Sand In It
17 California Promises
18 God Bless Our Mobile Home

Here's more from the great Chicago singer-songwriter, Steve Goodman, a combination of 2 radio broadcasts from the fall of 1977, with excellent sound quality. These shows also feature great mandolin playing from Jethro Burns (of country act Homer and Jethro), who regularly toured and performed with Goodman. Goodman does most of the show solo, then brings out Jethro for the last part of the set. I have combined these 2 shows to highlight the different songs from the sets, removed some repeated songs, and arranged them all into a relatively seamless longer single show. Highlights include another of his songs co-written with John Prine 'The 20th Century is Almost Over', his observations on sexual relationships - 'Men Who Love Women Who Love Men', and 'Moby Book', his condensation of Moby Dick into a blues song (or as he says, 'like Cliff Notes written by Willie Dixon' ). Enjoy.

Some more background on Steve. Right around the time Steve was just getting started as an entertainer, in 1969, he was diagnosed with Leukemia, which in those days was basically a death sentence. He didn't know how long he would have to live, but he dedicated himself to making the most of his career while he could. Only his close friends and family knew about his condition, so he went through his music career fighting back the disease as best he could, with his fans and public not knowing anything about his ailment. That he was able to keep up such an upbeat attitude, high energy, and good humor, and be such a prolific songwriter and performer throughout his career was an amazing achievement. By 1983, however, the cancer was really taking it's toll, and Steve finally revealed to the world his condition. Steve died in September 1984, but left behind a rich legacy of songs, albums, and performances. Next time I'll feature some shows from his last few years. Till then, enjoy this small glimpse of a wonderful performer and great guy, Steve Goodman.

01 Red Red Robin
02 Videotape >
03 Do It Yourself
04 Old Smoothies
05 20th Century Is Almost Over
06 One Of These Days >
07 Men Who Love Women Who Love Men
08 Two Lovers
09 Can't Go Back
10 You’re The Girl I Love
11 Three-Legged Man
12 Mind Your Own Business
13 Moby Book
14 Bandstand
15 Yellow Coat
16 Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
17 Donald and Lydia
18 Door Number Three
19 My Old Man
20 The Auctioneer
21 Spoon River Anthology
22 Jessie's Jig
23 City Of New Orleans
24 Just Lucky I Guess

Here's the great, underappreciated Steve Goodman, in a combination of 2 shows from the mid-seventies. Goodman is probably most widely known as the writer of 'the best damn train song ever written' (as John Prine says), 'City of New Orleans', as well as several other respected songs. Although Steve is fairly widely known for his songs (at least among other songwriters, folk, and country performers), he is much less-known to the public as a versatile performer and entertainer. Steve started out in the folk clubs around Chicago while still a student, and was already a regular when he met John Prine in 1970, and they became fast friends. It was Steve that was instrumental in getting John's big break, as when Steve was opening for Kris Kristofferson in 1971, he insisted that Kris go hear John play after their own show was over. This lead to Kristofferson hooking them up with Paul Anka, who ultimately got both Steve and John signed to recording contracts. Steve's biggest break came, however, when Arlo Guthrie recorded 'City of New Orleans' in 1972, and it became a huge hit. Although Steve's own albums didn't sell much at all, the success of that train song enabled him to devote himself to a full-time career in music, and he was always grateful for that opportunity. Although Steve has written several respected 'serious' songs (including 'New Orleans', 'Ballad of Penny Evans', 'My Old Man', etc), his real strength was in his quick wit and numerous humorous songs, ranging from mildly amusing ditties to wickedly clever, insightful, and hilarious spoofs and rantings. Although he never sold many albums, his live performances were very popular and widely acclaimed. What was so great about Steve was that his shows were always so entertaining and fun. He had an extremely engaging and captivating personality. He was always energetic, upbeat, and aiming to please. He was like your ideal version of a best friend, smart, funny, and great to be around, but just a regular guy, yet someone you could always count on. Nobody ever left a Steve Goodman show not feeling good and entertained, which is why anyone who ever saw him live on stage became a fan. It wasn't any one thing, but the combination of everything, the versatility of the songs and music, the fun atmosphere, Steve's jokes, storytelling, spontaneity, and ad libs, and Steve's surprisingly good guitar playing and vocal theatrics. It was just a good time for all.

The first show here is a short, opening set (he opened for Prine) with excellent sound that, although short, establishes his format and style. He usually started off with an uptempo version of an old ('30's, '40's) standard, then he follows with a mix of serious and humorous songs, stories, anecdotes, and humorous intros and set-ups. Included here is an extended version of the story of how Steve wrote 'You Never Even Call Me By My Name' with John Prine one drunken night in NY, so Prine fans should not miss this. This show was right around the time that I first saw him, and was totally captivated. Since this was a short show, I've combined it with another, longer show from 1976 (I did a little editing to remove some duplicated songs from the first show). This show was an extended opening set (opened for Warren Zevon) performed for radio. It's interesting to note how Steve keeps tweaking and adding new parts to the final verse of 'My Name' with each year. But the main thing that makes this show unique is the full jam session at end. At this show, after his opening solo portion, he invited some musician friends (country-bluegrass) from the area to join him for the last part of the set. Then, after a rousing 'City of New Orleans', an even larger jam session developed which included Billy Joel (who just happened to be around) on piano and Zevon himself sitting in on drums. They managed to rip through representative country, rock, and blues jams, and started into 'Twist and Shout', when the radio station finally cut them off, as they had gone well beyond the allotted time slot (so, there's only a fragment of 'TnS' remaining). But, it was a wonderful raucous jam, a bit unusual for a Goodman show, but great nonetheless (and Goodman managed to stay in charge, singing and directing traffic throughout). Anyway, hope you enjoy these Goodman shows. Hopefully, they will give you an idea of why Goodman was so liked and admired by other musicians and singer-songwriters all over the world.

01 Lady Be Good
02 Turnpike Tom
03 City of New Orleans
04 Ballad of Penny Evans
05 I Ain't Heard You Play No Blues
06 Chicken Cordon Bleus
07 Lincoln Park Pirates
08 The Auctioneer
09 You Never Even Call Me by My Name
10 The Dutchman

Thursday, September 23, 2010

John Prine
Glór Irish Music Centre,
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
November 11, 2005
FM Broadcast, very good quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps

I hope you all are enjoying these great John Prine shows as much as I am (although the lack of any comments on these makes me wonder). To finish up this mini-tribute to Chicago's folk icon, here is a show from his more recent years. This one, another excellent recording, is from his tour in support of Fair and Square, his 2005 grammy-winning album, which was also his first solo album of new songs since Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings in 1995. In the intervening years, however, John survived a serious health scare. In 1998, a cancerous mass was found and removed from John's neck (along with a good chunk of his neck). That was followed by a couple months of radiation treatments. He took over a year off to rest and recuperate from the cancer and treatments, but was ready to start performing again by Spring 1999. After the surgery, his voice was noticably deeper, and a little rougher (more gravelly), but for a singer like John, it just gave his voice 'more character'. John has said that when he started performing again, he had to sing all his songs in a lower key, as he could no longer reach the notes he used to, and in re-learning the old songs in different keys, he achieved an all-new appreciation for some of his older stuff, and thoroughly enjoyed playing many songs he hadn't played in years. That difference in his voice can be heard in all his later concerts, including this one, and most fans have noted that the change in his voice fits right in with his songs and style, and just seems a natural progression into his later years. This show, then features a mixture of some of his old standards along with some of the newer songs, which show that he still has a knack and keen eye for writing gems. Some of the newer songs include 'Glory of True Love', 'Crazy as a Loon', 'Taking a Walk', and 'Some Humans Ain't Humans' from Fair and Square, as well as others like 'All the Best', 'Ain't Hurtin Nobody', and 'Lake Marie' from Lost Dogs. So here is John as he sounds in recent years (Still Great).

Also, I need to mention that there is a great official John Prine fan web site, http://www.jpshrine.org , that has all things Prine, including links to purchase his albums. Or you can go direct to John's record company site, Oh Boy Records to buy albums and DVDs from his catalog.

Coming up next, we go back to the early seventies Chicago folk scene to check out John's good buddy, the energetic, wonderful, influential singer-songwriter, and all-around great guy, Steve Goodman.

Here's another excellent John Prine show, this one from the mid-80's. By this time, Prine had left the major labels and was putting out albums on his own independent record label, Oh Boy Records. Although this meant more freedom and less pressure to make more commercial albums, without major label support it also meant a much lower profile and lower album sales (none of his independently released albums from this period charted on the Billboard 200). Thus, although these albums, Aimless Love (1984), German Afternoons (1986), John Prine Live (1988), and The Missing Years (1991), were not as well-known as some of his previous albums, they were nevertheless gems, each containing several new classic Prine tunes. So, here is a selection from that time in his career. This is an excellent soundboard recording rom Asheville, NC, with assistance from Phillip Donnelly, and I have also added onto this selected tracks from another excellent show from 1984, highlighting more songs from this period, or classic tracks that have not been featured yet. So, please, enjoy more from the great John Prine.

Friday, September 17, 2010

John Prine
June 11, 1978
The Bottom Line, New York, NY
FM recording, very good quality
NEW UPGRADED QUALITY!
Now available in lossless (FLAC) and
mp3 @ 320 kbps

Here is a show from Prine several years later in his career. This tour was in support of Bruised Orange (1978), his 5th studio album, so, we get the additional songs from this period. In addition, this tour featured a full back-up band with Prine, including additional guitars (both electric and acoustic), keyboards, bass, drums, and back-up vocals, rather than Prine's more traditional solo act or just with guitar and bass. At this time Prine was exploring more of a harder edge and rock sound on several songs, which would be even more prominent on his next album, Pink Cadillac (1979). Here, he already has the band assembled that he would use for most of Pink Cadillac, and it is interesting to hear some of his songs done with a band (and electric guitar?), although he does go back to just himself and guitar for some of the classic tracks that work better that way. But whether you like the fuller sound and arrangements, or prefer just John alone, this represents the next phase of his illustrious career, and it's all great stuff.

Tracklist
01 Spanish Pipedream
02 Often Is A Word I Seldom Use
03 Angel From Montgomery
04 Fish And Whistle
05 Crooked Piece Of Time
06 Blue Umbrella
07 Illegal Smile
08 Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone
09 The Bottomless Lake
10 Sam Stone
11 That's The Way That The World Goes Round
12 There She Goes
13 I Had A Dream Last Night
14 Chinatown
15 If You Don't Want My Love
16 Try To Find Another Man
17 Band Intros - Pretty Good
18 Hello In There
19 Grandpa Was A Carpenter
20 Ballad Of A Teenage Queen
21 Paradise
22 Please Don't Bury Me
23 Sleepy Eyed Boy
24 Treat Me Nice
25 Onomatopeia
26 Sailin' Around
27 Mexican Home
28 How Lucky Can One Man Get
29 I'm Not That Good At Goodbye
30 Saddle In The Rain

Thursday, September 16, 2010

First up in my feature of influential Chicago artists is John Prine, one of the all-time great American songwriters and folk artists. Now, in recent years, towards the end of his career, he finally seems to be getting more of the respect, honors, and accolades he deserves as one of the best of all time (This year a new tribute album featuring young folk and rock artists was released, along with other awards, and international acclaim). But back in 1970, he was just getting started in Chicago clubs like the 5th Peg, The Quiet Knight, and the Earl of Old Town. Here are some of the earliest known recordings of Prine (in excellent quality), before he recorded his first album (1971). It's amazing that he already had written and was performing so many of his classic songs at this time (Sam Stone, Paradise, Hello In There, Angel From Montgomery, Spanish Pipedream, Donald and Lydia, Souvenirs, The Great Compromise, Illegal Smile, etc). By the time he made his first album in 1971 he already had enough great songs for 2 or 3 albums. And his first album was a masterpiece, with several more to follow. He has such a gift for so accurately and specifically depicting human problems and emotions with sincerity, honesty, and simple but brilliant turns of phrases that concisely sum things up with just a few words or sentences (The haunting and heartbreaking refrain from Sam Stone 'There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes...' is an excellent example). His songs are very personal, but always accessible, and sum up often unspoken feelings that we all can relate to. Although some of his songs deal with very serious issues and problems, they are handled with humor and grace, and are usually uplifting, and not at all depressing (Other songs are just funny and 'goofy' as he would say, but still express strong emotions and values). And although his voice may be rough and have a very limited range, it is perfectly suited to the music, and his simple but powerful presentation and style (including unique phrasing and ironic tone) make the songs come alive in ways that just don't happen when other artists (with better voices) cover the songs. And that has been one of his limitations, in that he is one of the world's great songwriters, yet his songs are not covered all that often, because he is the only one that really can do them justice (well accept for 'Angel' which sounds best with a female voice, like Bonnie Raitt's version). Although he has always garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following, he never really achieved widespread commercial success, which is such a shame, but really just fine with him. He is one of the most straight-forward, humble, unpretentious, and unassuming people you could ever meet. When he began writing his songs, he never expected anyone would ever hear them (or want to hear them), they were just made for his own entertainment. And he still goes about his craft that way.

This first show is said to be the oldest surviving John Prine recording. This show was recorded sometime in August 1970, labelled as 'John Prine Live at the 5th Peg 1970 WFMT Archives'. It was also around this time that John met another young singer-songwriter playing the Chicago clubs, a funny little guy named Steve Goodman. Steve would become his best friend, co-hort and collaborator, and it was through Steve that John was 'discovered' by Kris Kristofferson leading to his first recording contract. But more about Steve later. The second show presented is from a Studs Terkel radio show (songs and talk), and provides some very interesting talk and background on John and these early songs (such as 'The Frying Pan' was the very first song he wrote, at age 14). The info on the show states that it is from 01-07-1970, but this clearly is wrong, as in the interview they discuss his upcoming recording sessions for his first album for Atlantic, and he did not have a recording contract until sometime in 1971 (he hadn't even started performing at all until around mid-1970), so this session must be from 1971, and it would seem to be more like June or July rather than January, so I'm just calling it 1971. Whether you are a fan of Prine or not, If you are someone that is at all interested in American folk or roots music (or even just great songwriting), you have got to check out these early shows by John Prine. It just doesn't get any better than this. John Prine is a National Treasure. Next I'll put up a couple of shows from later in his career.

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